Annotation

Cordyceps and Beauveria fungi are among the pathogens of important insect pests, such as the spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus. At the same time, these fungi produce a number of very interesting biologically active substances, especially cyclic peptides, nucleosides, beta-glucans and others, which strengthen the immunity of the human organism, its revitalization and prevent processes of aging and development of neurodegenerative diseases. Cordyceps fungi are therefore used in the form of dietary supplements as medicinal fungi, especially in Asian medicine. However, there is still little knowledge about these unique natural substances and the metabolism of these species. The aim of the dissertation thesis is to map and compare the natural compounds, especially secondary metabolites in both known and newly isolated species of both fungal genera, to determine their structures and to obtain basic knowledge of their metabolism during entomopathogenic process in insect hosts. Financial support: project TP01010022 (2020-2022).